COURAGEOUS ACTIVE DUTY AIR FORCE AIRMAN ON WHITE HOUSE HUNGER STRIKE FOR GAZA
Time for members of the U.S. military get clear about their role in the U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza and resist the obscenity of the US military role.
Photo: Ann Wright.
“Active-duty members are afraid to speak out and I hope that my example and that of others, like Aaron, can change that.”
Veterans for Peace, Popular Resistance (3/31/24)
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024 at the White House, active-duty Air Force Senior Airman Larry Hebert began a hunger strike to highlight the plight of the starving children of Gaza.
He will be at the White House on Monday, April 1, 2024, for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll to remind parents and their children that while they are playing with Easter eggs on the White House lawn, children all over Gaza need eggs to stave off starvation.
Hebert will be at the White House all next week, April 1-7. Beginning Monday, April 8, when Congress returns from recess, he will be outside the houses of the U.S. Congress.
In mid-March, Senior Airman Larry Hebert, age 26, from rural New Hampshire and a member of Veterans For Peace, took authorized leave from his assignment at Naval Station Rota, Spain to participate in demonstrations demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to visit Congressional offices to press for stopping weapons shipments to Israel, which violate several U.S. laws.
Hebert said, “I was deeply touched when I saw that Aaron Bushnell took his own life at the Israeli Embassy for the people of Gaza and knew that I had to raise my voice in opposition to the U.S. government supplying Israel the bombs and rockets to commit genocide in Gaza. Veterans for Peace, Popular Resistance. Active-duty members are afraid to speak out and I hope that my example and that of others, like Aaron, can change that.”
Growing discontent
With six years in the Air Force, Hebert joins many hundreds of current and retired military and civilian government officials urging U.S. leaders to stop fueling Israel’s war that has killed well over 32,000 Palestinians, most of whom are children. Starvation and disease are rapidly becoming as deadly as the war itself in the area Israel has bombed to rubble.
Following is a summary of the laws currently being violated by the U.S. State Department and other officials every time weapons shipments to Israel are authorized. This summary is included in a letter Veterans For Peace sent to the State Dept. Inspector-General Feb. 12.
The Foreign Assistance Act, which forbids the provision of assistance to a government which “engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”
Arms Export Control Act, which says countries that receive US military aid can only use weapons for legitimate self-defense and internal security. Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza goes way beyond self-defense and internal security.
The U.S. War Crimes Act, which forbids grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and unlawful deportation or transfer, perpetrated by the Israeli Occupying Forces.
The Leahy Law, which prohibits the U.S. Government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights.
The Genocide Convention Implementation Act, which was enacted to implement U.S. obligations under the Genocide Convention, provides for criminal penalties for individuals who commit or incite others to commit genocide.
[Thanks to fellow Substacker The Revolution Continues, who posted part of the above article and photo in When Is A Ceasefire Not A Ceasefire? 4/2/24. The cartoon below is also from the same post and totally on point to the despicable, criminal U.S. military role in the genocide. Time for military members to say no to more war crimes. — Mark Taylor]
Active-Duty U.S. Airman, Inspired By Aaron Bushnell, On Hunger Strike Outside White House Over Gaza
"It's just completely wrong and immoral for civilians to be starved and bombed and targeted in any manner. I'm hoping that other active-duty members will be more public with their concern over the atrocities happening in Gaza."
Democracy Now (4/2/24)
Democracy Now! speaks with an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Air Force on hunger strike to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Senior Airman Larry Hebert is on day three of his hunger strike outside the White House, where he has been holding a sign that reads "Active Duty Airman Refuses to Eat While Gaza Starves."
"It's just completely wrong and immoral for civilians to be starved and bombed and targeted in any manner," says Hebert. "I'm hoping that other active-duty members will be more public with their concern over the atrocities happening in Gaza." Hebert was inspired by the actions of Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in February to demand a Gaza ceasefire.
Infuriating
"What really infuriated me was the silence thereafter. … I don't know a single member of our government or leaders in the military that really spoke on Aaron, even uttered his name," says Hebert, who is now looking to leave the military after learning more about U.S. foreign policy. "I can't see myself continuing service."
10-minute video
Bobby Sands lives on! 🇮🇪
Very very admirable. How many in Biden's cabinet oppose what he's doing? Probably not enough to enact the 25th Amendment. They would be justified, though. He's a sick war criminal.